Dark copper body under very light tan head that holds its own while producing a beautiful lacing. Smells sweet and piney, citrus. Layers of flavorful hops that really take you for a ride. Celebration indeed, this is an awesome IPA!

Poured from a chilled, single bottle, dated 10/01/15 (it is now 1/7/2016). Purchased at a local HEB here in Beaumont, TX. Normal glass, nothing fancy.

Pours a rich copper with minimal foam or lacing to be seen. Smell is very muted, with the slightest malty, nutty, pine hints - along with some barely detectable biscuit/cracker tones. No citrus as the label suggests. Taste - almost exactly like the smell. Well balanced but also very conservative hop touch on the end. Where this one shines is in the mouthfeel, quite sessionable and easy to put a few back, I'd reckon. You'd have me fooled with the alcohol content, I swear I can detect a buzz before I'm done with the glass.

Overall a Very reserved, safe beer. Probably too reserved for many. Wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to purchase again given the amount of options available, especially as far as IPAs go. I must admit I have only tried maybe a half dozen IPA's, I am quite a new craft head. However I also would never turn it down if offered. I personally prefer something more exciting, but it was nice to give a try and widen my experience with the style.

Taste: The 1st small sip or two produced the fleeting ghost of some malt and spice
perhaps, but the tsunami of grapefruit flavor that presents almost immediately,
just annihilates any such presence overall. Just really extreme citrus that lingers
on the palate: (If you momentarily disassociated yourself from the realization that
you were drinking beer, you'd swear you were drinking grapefruit juice). It felt stronger
than a 6.8% ABV.

Feel: Full, nicely carbonated.

Overall: I had this many moons ago before becoming a craft aficionado, so looked forward
to revisiting. In spite of the amount of press & +reviews this beer continues to garner, it just didn't
work for me. In the end, just not enough depth and nuance in flavor--holiday or otherwise--to
counterbalance the massive tidal wave of citrusy hop bitterness.

Pours a dark Amber color, smells hoppy and has a rich head that leaves excellent lacing. Has a satisfying bitterness that the malt profile fights against in a wonderful way. The cascade hop flavor shines in all of its glory. My favorite American pale ale 3 years running!

I was a tiny bit disappointed with this. It poured (perhaps a bit too vigorously) a reddish brown color with a colossal 3+ finger, cream colored head that never quite went away, beautiful beer. It smelled a lot more hoppy than I thought it actually tasted. The taste was much more malt, roasted nuts, and booze with dry bitterness mostly on the finish. Between the color and taste, this seemed more like an amber ale...which I love, but I was expecting much more hops than I got. I would drink another one (or six) for sure, it was a solid brew, but I didn't think it was quite worthy of all the hype.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., with an ABV of 6.80% This brew pours out a reddish amber color with a nice off white head. The look of this brew put you in the hoilday sprit. The smell of this ale is rich with hops, grins, and malts. You also pick up a hit of spices and sweetness in the smell of this brew. The taste of Celebration Ale, is rich with flavors. You first pick up on the hops and spices in this brew. Then you pick up on the smoothness of grains and malts. There is a lot going on in this brew. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale , has a nice balance to it there is nothing overpowering about this brew. I like how this brew is different from most IPA's on the market. This IPA seems to be smoother, not saying that is a bad thing. The mouthfeel of Celebration Ale is, rich, bold, smooth, clean, spicy, and refreshing. You really can't pick up on the 6.80% ABV in this brew, it is just that smooth. Overall, I'm giving Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale a 4.75 out of 5. This was way better than what I was expecting. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., did a real nice job with this one I would buy this brew again.

Hop lovers will go nuts over this holiday celebration brew. Incredibly bitter thats the first thing that screams at you, and it gets evened out with a citrisy sweetness that is yet again overpowered by that forresty bitter flavor that I am not too fond of. This is a high quality premium beer but not one I don't think I would pick up again, still I can totally understand why people wait each holiday season for this annual offering, a spectacularly crafted beer from Sierra Nevada.

Poured from bottle into a pint glass. It's nice to have an IPA for a seasonal holiday drink.
A: amber with lots of dusting of a beige head. This cascades down the glass. Nice looking beer. S: fresh hops and bready malts. T: nice and balanced.. Hoppy, piney, similar to their classic APA but more bitter. Nicely ending of that biscuity malt. Good stuff. F: pleasant bitterness left on the palate. Goes down fairly easy, depending on your preference on an IPA. O: a seasonal well worth the wait. I'll like to have this in 2016 again.

Look:
Deep orange brown color. 2-finger head upon pouring from a 12oz bottle. The head recedes a bit, but stays a bit foamy with the replenishing bubbles from below. This is fairly hazy as well.

Smells:
It smells slightly tart and citrusy like from fruit and hops. There's an earthy aroma that smells woodsy.

Taste:
Kicks in with bitterness that is pretty powerful. It quickly moves to an earthy funk that you can't quite describe. At first is seems like it has went bad as it is a strange and unexpected flavor. It fades rather quickly and kicks into sweet malty flavors. It starts to get bitter once again and the funk seems to come back. As the flavors fade, you are left with citrus / pine / bread and malt aftertastes.

Feel: Light side of medium on the mouth feel. Not thin and a bit slick. Stays fizzy which is quite nice.

Overall:
Decent IPA. I believe that hops used for this (wild ones?) gives it the funky flavor. Tastes like they threw in the hops, the vines, roots, and dirt all in this one. Very earthy. It is ok to drink a few, but I don't see myself buying a 6 pack or a 12 pack of it. Worth a try though.

Pours a light brown with a prodigious head.. Managed to get some yeast into it so a bit hazy. Smell of sweet malts, some sherbet, bit of resin, bit more pine. a bit subdued to what I was expecting. Flavour is a good balance of malts and hops, although there are no clear flavours standing out. Some orange pith there maybe, bitterness doesn't hang around long. Good carbonation level, not watery and only a hint of alcohol.

Poured at 45°F from a 12oz bottle (packaged on 01Oct15) into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Consumed on 30Dec15.
LOOK: Pours with a finger and half worth of dense, off-white foam. At 20 seconds, the foam head becomes rocky and spacious. After 3 minutes, the head has not yet begin to even dissipate. Amber in color with a moderate amount of cloudiness. There is a massive amount of both small and medium-sized rising bubbles that would explain why the foam head refuses to die. Lacing is moderate and both thick and very thick.
SMELL: Strong aromas of mango, papaya, peach, and apricot entangle with mild aromas of piney hops, grapefruit, tangerines, and subtle aromas of buttered bread and caramel. There is also subtle aromas of dirt, not earthy hops, but straight soil.
TASTE: Mild flavors of piney hops, grapefruit, and tangerine enter initially and are immediately followed by mild caramel and subtle bitter hop flavors. Mild mango, papaya, apricot, peach, and buttered bread flavors enter lastly as all previous flavors persist.
FEEL: Somewhere between full-bodied and medium-bodied. Carbonation is moderate. Goes down smooth and creamy. Finishes with a strong dryness.
NOTE: An exceptionally balanced and delicious American IPA. I felt like I just drank a rare bottle that I had to trade an arm and a leg for. Luckily, this is available at anytime during the winter.

Copper pour with off-white head, decent carbonation. Aroma of pine, malt and spice noted. Nice mix of malt and sweet taste, enjoyed the texture and felt good going down. Very good beer and I'm looking forward to more of these down the road.

thought I was going to love this one, but I was actually slightly disappointed. pours a pretty dark orange/brown color with no haziness. smell is very balanced between piney hops and bitter roasted malts. doesn't smell like a fresh hop IPA whatsoever, more like one of those run of the mill IPAs that are always on the shelf going bad. taste was slightly less than smell, those bitter roasted malts really take over the entire taste after the initial, short lived hop bitterness. feel was decent, wouldnt expect any less from SN. overall very underwhelming and underpromising. would not seek out again.

T/F: This a pretty big hop bomb for a non-Imperial IPA. Biscuity malts keep the beer grounded, and serve as a great platform for the hoppy goodness of this brew. Pine and spruce mingle with herbs on the hop profile, with subtle citrus flavors in the background. Medium in body... easy, easy, drinking, and a nice crisp clean finish.

O: A great winter seasonal IPA, and a fresh winter treat every time I have it... and amazing how consistently good they make it year to year. Sierra Nevada does some great things with their IPA's and this is one of their best.

Great looking Amber color for this IPA. great piney, resin and lift citrus flavor. Great carbonation. Unfortunately mine was already 2 months old. Still very great. Need to try it fresh for the full taste.

12 oz bottle. Hazy amber with two finger off white head, great retention and lacing. Sweet malt n pine/grass aroma. Very fresh taste with piney hops that come to the front and last beyond the sip. Good balance by some caramel but the hops dominate like they should. Full creamy mouthfeel. This brew is so good when fresh, piney n clean n soft.

A - Pours a clear, cedar color with an incredibly fluffy, white 2 1/2 finger head. Good head retention with lacing notable.

S - Very simple yet beautiful blend of aromas. 100% dominated by the aroma of pine and citrus scented hops -- the aromas imitate the sensation of hiking in the woods without the effort! Clean and refreshing.

T - Although there is very little to describe the beer regarding complexity and subtleties of flavorings, it is by far one of the freshest and cleaning tasting beers I've had. Dominated by pine and citrus hops; identical to the nose.

M - Crisp, sharp and enjoyable. Leaves a hoppy aftertaste to the mouth; very enjoyable all in all. Perfect mouthfeel in regards of an IPA with a medium-full body. Very drinkable all in all.

O - An exemplary IPA that states sometimes simpler is better. Very straightforward and very enjoyable beer; if you enjoy IPA's, you'l love this beer.

I don't really understand the hype over this one. It's a fine beer but to be getting scores in the 90's doesn't make much sense. I guess I just don't prefer the "first hops of the growing season" as Sierra Nevada says. Thought the aroma and flavor profile of torpedo was much more to my liking.

Beer is a clear dark amber, with a nice dark ivory head. Some nice lacing. Aroma is lots of pine with a bit of bread and orange. Taste is nice malt up front with a bitter, piney hop finish. Mouthfeel is good. Beer is quite substantial, but not too heavy. Overall, a tasty, chunky beer. Bitter, flavorful, nicely balanced. A good winter IPA.

Great-looking IPA with a slightly cloudy Amber color, red hues, and big, persistent head with lacing. Tastes lightly fruity with pine and comfortable bitterness. Flavor is smooth and nice, but not too prominent or complex. A good IPA, goes well with the Christmas season.